National Science Week 2024 is jam-packed with exciting opportunities for the whole family to engage in activities and events celebrating STEM. From showcasing STEM careers to offering hands-on experiences, demonstrations, and workshops, these weekends promise an unforgettable learning adventure.
Throughout Sydney and regional NSW, in parks, libraries, museums, galleries and gardens. Experienced science educators are on hand to provide the best learning experience for everyone, and scientists and researchers are there to share their knowledge and passion for science.
Many events will take place outdoors, offering the perfect setting for the whole family to unwind, enjoy a picnic, and immerse themselves in nature’s wonders.
These experiences are free, but booking is needed for many of them. Make sure you register in advance to guarantee a place. Many of them book out!
Highlights (in date order) are listed below. These will be updated with more as they are confirmed.
Rhodes Science Fair 2024
Join us for an unforgettable day of scientific exploration and excitement. Celebrate science with exciting activities, interactive exhibits and fascinating presentations. This free community event is for all ages, celebrating lifelong learning and inspiring a love of science.
Marvel at space with astronomers, get creative with the local sustainability team and discover the wonders of nature with the Earth & Environmental Science stall. Delve into our excavation site to uncover hidden treasures and explore the science behind everyday toys. Dive into the world of robot artificial intelligence, build an electric circuit and explore coding robots with the tech team.
With activities and presentations galore, the Rhodes Science Fair 2024 has something for everyone. Mark your calendars and join us for a day of scientific discovery and non-stop family fun!
10am – 2 pm on Saturday 10 August 2024 at The Connection, Rhodes
Did you know eating fresh food can help you feel good? Explore fresh food with all your senses at a fun and relaxed family day on the farm. Create vegetable art, discover weird and wonky vegetables, learn about Australian native foods, and pot up a plant to take home and nurture.
Meet a scientist and ask your questions about the latest food fads. Discover friendly creepy crawlies in the leaf litter touch tank, and learn how organic farms work with nature to grow good food.
10am – 3 pm on Saturday 10 August 2024 at The Sydney City Farm
Join for a FREE family fun day out at Western Sydney Parklands. The Lizard Log will transform into a pop−up village of scientific wonder this National Science Week, with live science shows, hands−on experiments, native animals and over 30 stalls to explore.
Don’t miss the life−sized roaming dinosaur and your chance to meet real−life scientists at this special event!
11am – 3 pm on Sunday 11 August 2024 at The Lizard Log Western Sydney Parklands
The Indigenous Science Experience @ Redfern will showcase the richness of First Nation Australian’s knowledges, as well as the relevance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to everyone in our community.
Coordinated by the National Indigenous Science Education Program (NISEP), the event will bring together First Nations peoples, academics and outreach organisations to provide a range of immersive STEM activities for the broader community at the iconic Redfern Community Centre. Indigenous secondary students from NISEP partner schools in Western Sydney and regional NSW will lead STEM engagement activities, building pride and growing role models for other Indigenous youth.
10am – 3pm on Saturday 17 August 2024 at Redfern Community Centre
Did you know? Species all around the world are threatened, now, more than ever. Australian scientists are at the forefront of many species surviving in the wild. Zookeepers work hard to conserve threatened species, both in the wild and within zoos. Citizen scientists collect and record data, supporting the fight for species survival. Come and explore the Science of Survival with us at Sydney Zoo.
Activities include:
Free Discovery Trail map, to follow conservation trails around the zoo
Win prizes when you complete the Species Survival challenge!
Learn about animal threats and conservation actions.
Discover how to become a citizen scientist.
Be inspired and take part in our fun, hands on activities for all ages. All programs are free after Zoom entry.
Join us for a family-friendly science festival at the Australian Museum on Saturday 17 August hosted by none other than the Surfing Scientist Ruben Meerman. Explore the famous Sydney Science Trail Expo full of interactive stalls to get hands-on with science and technology – it’s a kids STEM bonanza! Stay tuned for more details and registrations opening in July.
Adventure to the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan on Sunday 18 August for a free, interactive program of science talks, nature experiences and hands-on activities. Explore the endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland or go behind-the-scenes at the Australian PlantBank and National Herbarium of New South Wales. Learn from First Nations educators about the importance of fire and practice your fire making skills or join one of the many other fun workshops and activities.
Saturday 17 August 2024 at Australian Museum
Sunday 18 August 2024 at Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan
Join the City of Sydney us at Darling Square Library for National Science Week and explore this year’s theme: Species Survival. There will be a line-up of creative science programs including makerspace workshops, informative talks, storytelling and performance, demonstrations, and interactive sessions.
All programs are free – perfect for the whole family!
10am – 2.30pm on Saturday 17 August 2024 at the Darling Square Library
Listen to the amazing Sydney Youth Orchestra’s Symphonic Wind Orchestra performing Gustav Holst’s The Planets and more starry music before you embark on a evening of star and planet gazing.
Dr Luke Barnes from Western Sydney University will provide you with an introduction in the stargazing and our First Nations educators will share their knowledge and stories of the night sky from the Dreaming to the present day.
The Sydney City Skywatchers will provide guidance with their amazing telescopes, all whilst our campfires keep you warm on a winter’s night.
3 – 8pm on Saturday 17 August 2024 at Centennial Parkland
Celebrate National Science Week with free family fun at Centennial Park. Science in the Swamp returns to Loch Avenue South packed with science, fun and discovery.
Engage in hands-on experiments. Get up close with native animals. Meet real life scientists including geologists, zoologists, mathematicians and marine biologists.
Say hello to our life-size dinosaur. Dipnet for pond creatures. Make a survival shelter or visit the pop-up ocean lab. With over 30 awe-inspiring stalls, live shows and food trucks, there’s science fun for everyone.
11am – 3pm on Sunday 18 August 2024 at Centennial Parklands
Immerse yourself in a world where science meets art, curiosity knows no bounds and discovery awaits at every turn. UNSW are throwing open laboratory doors and transporting science into the everyday. Head back to science class with interactive activities, games, live stage shows and talks. Explore the wonders of science, technology, engineering, maths, medicine and the arts.
SciFest is for all ages, from curious kids to inquisitive adults. Don’t miss this interactive and immersive science adventure for the whole family!
4 – 8pm on Friday 16 August 2024 at Roundhouse, UNSW Sydney
Winter Riveryouthfest is a fun family-friendly community event on Saturday 17th August at the Bellingen Skatepark. Join us to get involved in local science initiatives and learn about the importance of river health. We aim to inspire science in young people and the wider community, while sharing the ways that science helps protect our environment.
Members from the Gumbaynggirr community will commence the event with cultural activities. This will be followed by guest speakers, musical performances and interactive citizen science activities by the river. Activities are targeted at young people but we encourage everyone to come down and enjoy what’s on offer!
12 – 3pm on Saturday 17 August 2024 at Bellingen Skatepark
The Albury LibraryMuseum is proud to present astrophysicist and science communicator Kirsten Banks, a Wiradjuri woman also known as AstroKirsten.
This event will ignite your curiosity and leave you in awe of the universe. Learn about the astronomical knowledge developed by First Nations people over thousands of years. Whether you’re a seasoned stargazer or a curious novice, this event is perfect for anyone with a passion for learning.
This event includes Kirsten’s talk at the LibraryMuseum, followed by an opportunity to star-gaze in QEII Square with the Astronomical Society of Albury Wodonga.
Dress warm and bring a picnic rug for the stargazing session. BYO telescope to beat the queues!
5:30pm – 7:30pm on Friday 16 August 2024 at Albury LibraryMuseum
University of Wollongong hub of science activities!
Visit the UOW campus open day in West Nowra this National Science Week. This is a free event and all are welcome. There is something for everyone, of all ages and interests!
Activities include:
Guided tours of the medicine and nursing teaching spaces.
Fire and Ice Spectacular science shows presented by the Science Space.
Dragon Training mobile zoo reptile display. See a lace monitor, crocodile, snake, turtle, frogs and a few smaller lizards.
Project Bucephalus Lego robotics building and competition with prizes! BYO robot or build one here.
Tours of the observatory on-site, view the Sun with a solar scope, and a telescope display with Shoalhaven astronomers
Anatomy models of the different parts of the body
Waminda South Coast Women’s Health and Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation Birthing on Country with midwives and interactive mannequins to measure fetal heart rates
Interactive health and medicine displays! Have your blood pressure measured, see your muscles via ultrasound, and see how dummy patients and simulations are used in medicine and nursing.
Our cafe will be open, and there will also be a sausage sizzle and a coffee cart.
10am – 3pm on Saturday 10 August 2024 at University of Wollongong, Shoalhaven campus
cience@Heart takes award-winning teachers & leading science communicators into Dubbo, the heart of New South Wales, during National Science Week to facilitate hands-on activities for the local community. The talks will offer insights into various fields of science, ranging from biodiversity to economics, environmental science, sociology, marine biology, and astronomy.
Join us @Science@Heart, a day filled with interactive activities and short talks with leading scientists. You will get a chance to touch shark’s teeth, stargaze the universe through a telescope, co-create a building, learn about the fascinating world of oysters, about frogs’ singing melodies, how economics is not about money or why injustice matters for all.
12 – 7.30pm on Saturday 17 August, Western Plains Cultural Centre,Dubbo
The Hunter Science Festival is back in 2024 and bigger than ever! This huge day is filled with FREE science fun and hands-on experiences for kids of all ages!
Become a poo on the giant inflatable Poo Palace from Hunter Medical Research Institute, and learn all about your digestion with their gastrointestinal researchers the Grand Poobahs
Build and race your own Electric Vehicle with Hunter Innovation and Science Hub HISH
Climb into a City of Newcastle garbage truck and meet a real driver! Chat to our waste team about Compost Revolution, community workshops and our general waste and recycling services
Explore the activity and display tables from Hunter Water, Irukanji Shark and Ray Centre, Hunter Wetlands, Hunter Landcare and School of Earth, Hunter Geological Society
Chill out at the Newcastle Libraries science storytime zone and borrow one of their cool tech kits
Check out Fizzics Education’s Bushfire Science Shows
Tickle your funny bone with Future Science Talks: Comedy Edition
Pot a Pollinator Plant! Learn about the life cycle of a seedling as you pot a native plant to take home. Grown from seed in our Kotara nursery, we’ll have a variety of local native plants, including edible plants, and experts on hand to share their knowledge. Get your hands dirty in the soil and chat all things green with our Environment teams. Take your plant home and watch it attract native bees, butterflies, and birds.
10am – 2pm on Sunday 18 August 2024 at Newcastle Museum
The Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) Poo Palace is returning to the Newcastle Museum for Science Week 2024. The HMRI Poo Palace is an interactive and educational activation that takes kids on a journey through the human digestive system.
Saturday 17 to Sunday 18 August 2024 at Newcastle Museum
National Science Week at Hunter Region Botanic Gardens
The Hunter Region Botanic Gardens has an exciting line-up for National Science Week. Receive your science passport when you register at the Information Tent. Then visit each of the 6 science station activities to stamp your passport.
Plant Science – every breath you take …. thank a tree.
Dip-netting – healthy water bugs mean healthy water.
Bug hunt – discover our eco-engineers and how they make the Gardens grow.
Geology dig – the history of our planet is beneath our feet.
Why filtering water matters – keeping out the bad stuff.
The first inventors – aerodynamics in action.
10am – 2pm on Sunday 11 August 2024 at Hunter Region Botanic Gardens
Sydney Science Festival, presented by the Powerhouse
Castle Hill Science Day
Hands-on science fun for all ages at Powerhouse Castle Hill. Create messages to send to space or a Star map. Learn about the search for life on Mars with Australian Centre for Field Robotics. Join in Story time or a collection tour.
Sky Broadcasts
Star Emissions
Signs of Life
Sky Stories
Collection Highlights Tour
Collection Storage Tour
10.30am – 3.30pm on Saturday 10 August 2024 at Powerhouse Castle Hill
National Science Week 2024 is jam-packed with exciting opportunities for the whole family to engage in activities and events celebrating STEM. From showcasing STEM careers to offering hands-on experiences, demonstrations, and workshops, these weekends promise an unforgettable learning adventure.
Throughout Sydney and regional NSW, in parks, libraries, museums, galleries and gardens. Experienced science educators are on hand to provide the best learning experience for everyone, and scientists and researchers are there to share their knowledge and passion for science.
Many events will take place outdoors, offering the perfect setting for the whole family to unwind, enjoy a picnic, and immerse themselves in nature’s wonders.
These experiences are free, but booking is needed for many of them. Make sure you register in advance to guarantee a place. Many of them book out!
Highlights (in date order) are listed below. These will be updated with more as they are confirmed.
Rhodes Science Fair 2024
Join us for an unforgettable day of scientific exploration and excitement. Celebrate science with exciting activities, interactive exhibits and fascinating presentations. This free community event is for all ages, celebrating lifelong learning and inspiring a love of science.
Marvel at space with astronomers, get creative with the local sustainability team and discover the wonders of nature with the Earth & Environmental Science stall. Delve into our excavation site to uncover hidden treasures and explore the science behind everyday toys. Dive into the world of robot artificial intelligence, build an electric circuit and explore coding robots with the tech team.
With activities and presentations galore, the Rhodes Science Fair 2024 has something for everyone. Mark your calendars and join us for a day of scientific discovery and non-stop family fun!
10am – 2 pm on Saturday 10 August 2024 at The Connection, Rhodes
Wild About Food
Did you know eating fresh food can help you feel good? Explore fresh food with all your senses at a fun and relaxed family day on the farm. Create vegetable art, discover weird and wonky vegetables, learn about Australian native foods, and pot up a plant to take home and nurture.
Meet a scientist and ask your questions about the latest food fads. Discover friendly creepy crawlies in the leaf litter touch tank, and learn how organic farms work with nature to grow good food.
10am – 3 pm on Saturday 10 August 2024 at The Sydney City Farm
Science in the Scrub
Join for a FREE family fun day out at Western Sydney Parklands. The Lizard Log will transform into a pop−up village of scientific wonder this National Science Week, with live science shows, hands−on experiments, native animals and over 30 stalls to explore.
Don’t miss the life−sized roaming dinosaur and your chance to meet real−life scientists at this special event!
11am – 3 pm on Sunday 11 August 2024 at The Lizard Log Western Sydney Parklands
Indigenous Science Experience @ Redfern
The Indigenous Science Experience @ Redfern will showcase the richness of First Nation Australian’s knowledges, as well as the relevance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to everyone in our community.
Coordinated by the National Indigenous Science Education Program (NISEP), the event will bring together First Nations peoples, academics and outreach organisations to provide a range of immersive STEM activities for the broader community at the iconic Redfern Community Centre. Indigenous secondary students from NISEP partner schools in Western Sydney and regional NSW will lead STEM engagement activities, building pride and growing role models for other Indigenous youth.
10am – 3pm on Saturday 17 August 2024 at Redfern Community Centre
The Science of Survival
Did you know? Species all around the world are threatened, now, more than ever. Australian scientists are at the forefront of many species surviving in the wild. Zookeepers work hard to conserve threatened species, both in the wild and within zoos. Citizen scientists collect and record data, supporting the fight for species survival. Come and explore the Science of Survival with us at Sydney Zoo.
Activities include:
Be inspired and take part in our fun, hands on activities for all ages. All programs are free after Zoom entry.
Saturday 10 – Sunday 18 August 2024 at Sydney Zoo
Sydney Science Trail
Join us for a family-friendly science festival at the Australian Museum on Saturday 17 August hosted by none other than the Surfing Scientist Ruben Meerman. Explore the famous Sydney Science Trail Expo full of interactive stalls to get hands-on with science and technology – it’s a kids STEM bonanza! Stay tuned for more details and registrations opening in July.
Adventure to the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan on Sunday 18 August for a free, interactive program of science talks, nature experiences and hands-on activities. Explore the endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland or go behind-the-scenes at the Australian PlantBank and National Herbarium of New South Wales. Learn from First Nations educators about the importance of fire and practice your fire making skills or join one of the many other fun workshops and activities.
Saturday 17 August 2024 at Australian Museum
Sunday 18 August 2024 at Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan
Family Day at Darling Square Library
Join the City of Sydney us at Darling Square Library for National Science Week and explore this year’s theme: Species Survival. There will be a line-up of creative science programs including makerspace workshops, informative talks, storytelling and performance, demonstrations, and interactive sessions.
All programs are free – perfect for the whole family!
10am – 2.30pm on Saturday 17 August 2024 at the Darling Square Library
The Planets Concert and Stargazing
Listen to the amazing Sydney Youth Orchestra’s Symphonic Wind Orchestra performing Gustav Holst’s The Planets and more starry music before you embark on a evening of star and planet gazing.
Dr Luke Barnes from Western Sydney University will provide you with an introduction in the stargazing and our First Nations educators will share their knowledge and stories of the night sky from the Dreaming to the present day.
The Sydney City Skywatchers will provide guidance with their amazing telescopes, all whilst our campfires keep you warm on a winter’s night.
3 – 8pm on Saturday 17 August 2024 at Centennial Parkland
Science in the Swamp
Celebrate National Science Week with free family fun at Centennial Park. Science in the Swamp returns to Loch Avenue South packed with science, fun and discovery.
Engage in hands-on experiments. Get up close with native animals. Meet real life scientists including geologists, zoologists, mathematicians and marine biologists.
Say hello to our life-size dinosaur. Dipnet for pond creatures. Make a survival shelter or visit the pop-up ocean lab. With over 30 awe-inspiring stalls, live shows and food trucks, there’s science fun for everyone.
11am – 3pm on Sunday 18 August 2024 at Centennial Parklands
Science, Visual & Performing Arts
This National Science Week Bandana Cultural School is hosting a Multilingual confluence of science and arts! Come along and enjoy:
1.30 – 7pm on Saturday 10 August at Granville Town Hall
SciFest 2024
Immerse yourself in a world where science meets art, curiosity knows no bounds and discovery awaits at every turn. UNSW are throwing open laboratory doors and transporting science into the everyday. Head back to science class with interactive activities, games, live stage shows and talks. Explore the wonders of science, technology, engineering, maths, medicine and the arts.
SciFest is for all ages, from curious kids to inquisitive adults. Don’t miss this interactive and immersive science adventure for the whole family!
4 – 8pm on Friday 16 August 2024 at Roundhouse, UNSW Sydney
Family fun in the regions
Riveryouthfest
Winter Riveryouthfest is a fun family-friendly community event on Saturday 17th August at the Bellingen Skatepark. Join us to get involved in local science initiatives and learn about the importance of river health. We aim to inspire science in young people and the wider community, while sharing the ways that science helps protect our environment.
Members from the Gumbaynggirr community will commence the event with cultural activities. This will be followed by guest speakers, musical performances and interactive citizen science activities by the river. Activities are targeted at young people but we encourage everyone to come down and enjoy what’s on offer!
12 – 3pm on Saturday 17 August 2024 at Bellingen Skatepark
First Nations Astronomy and Stargazing
The Albury LibraryMuseum is proud to present astrophysicist and science communicator Kirsten Banks, a Wiradjuri woman also known as AstroKirsten.
This event will ignite your curiosity and leave you in awe of the universe. Learn about the astronomical knowledge developed by First Nations people over thousands of years. Whether you’re a seasoned stargazer or a curious novice, this event is perfect for anyone with a passion for learning.
This event includes Kirsten’s talk at the LibraryMuseum, followed by an opportunity to star-gaze in QEII Square with the Astronomical Society of Albury Wodonga.
Dress warm and bring a picnic rug for the stargazing session. BYO telescope to beat the queues!
5:30pm – 7:30pm on Friday 16 August 2024 at Albury LibraryMuseum
University of Wollongong hub of science activities!
Visit the UOW campus open day in West Nowra this National Science Week. This is a free event and all are welcome. There is something for everyone, of all ages and interests!
Activities include:
Our cafe will be open, and there will also be a sausage sizzle and a coffee cart.
10am – 3pm on Saturday 10 August 2024 at University of Wollongong, Shoalhaven campus
Science@Heart
cience@Heart takes award-winning teachers & leading science communicators into Dubbo, the heart of New South Wales, during National Science Week to facilitate hands-on activities for the local community. The talks will offer insights into various fields of science, ranging from biodiversity to economics, environmental science, sociology, marine biology, and astronomy.
Join us @Science@Heart, a day filled with interactive activities and short talks with leading scientists. You will get a chance to touch shark’s teeth, stargaze the universe through a telescope, co-create a building, learn about the fascinating world of oysters, about frogs’ singing melodies, how economics is not about money or why injustice matters for all.
12 – 7.30pm on Saturday 17 August, Western Plains Cultural Centre, Dubbo
Hunter Science Festival 2024
The Hunter Science Festival is back in 2024 and bigger than ever! This huge day is filled with FREE science fun and hands-on experiences for kids of all ages!
10am – 2pm on Sunday 18 August 2024 at Newcastle Museum
Poo Palace
The Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) Poo Palace is returning to the Newcastle Museum for Science Week 2024. The HMRI Poo Palace is an interactive and educational activation that takes kids on a journey through the human digestive system.
Saturday 17 to Sunday 18 August 2024 at Newcastle Museum
National Science Week at Hunter Region Botanic Gardens
The Hunter Region Botanic Gardens has an exciting line-up for National Science Week. Receive your science passport when you register at the Information Tent. Then visit each of the 6 science station activities to stamp your passport.
10am – 2pm on Sunday 11 August 2024 at Hunter Region Botanic Gardens
Sydney Science Festival, presented by the Powerhouse
Castle Hill Science Day
Hands-on science fun for all ages at Powerhouse Castle Hill. Create messages to send to space or a Star map. Learn about the search for life on Mars with Australian Centre for Field Robotics. Join in Story time or a collection tour.
10.30am – 3.30pm on Saturday 10 August 2024 at Powerhouse Castle Hill
Sydney Science Festival Parramatta
A full day of free hands-on science fun for all ages including:
10am – 3 pm on Saturday 17 August 2024 at Parramatta Square
Feature image: Dinosaur roaming at Science in the Swamp 2023
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